October 9, 2017 TnH Global

The Czech Republic strengthens promotional activities in India, forays into the Middle East market

H.E. Mr. Milan Hovorka, Czech Ambassador in India together with Monika Palatková, Managing Director of Czech Tourist Authority – Czech Tourism and Vinay Malhotra, COO, VFS Global – South Asia & Middle East inaugurated Czech Tourism India office on 14th September 2017.

“I congratulate CzechTourism on opening an office in India. Permanent presence in one of the world’s fastest growing outbound market has been supported by me for a long time and I am glad to be present at the opening ceremony of the office. VFS Global is a reliable partner in the visa area and I am convinced that the partnership of Czech- Tourism with this company will lead to a further increase of interest about the Czech Republic,” commented H.E. Mr. Milan Hovorka, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in India.

CzechTourism has appointed VFS Global as its India representative in February this year. The inauguration of the office is a strategic step towards promoting the Czech Republic as a favoured tourist destination in India, which is emerging as a major strategic source market. This is in accordance with the official CzechTourism marketing campaign, which has continuously represented the Czech Republic as the land of stories since 2013.

“We have been working closely with VFS Global in India since the end of 2016 and it has proven to be successful in establishing the Czech Republic as a tourist destination in India. On this occasion, I am pleased to announce the expansion of our cooperation into another strategic region, the Middle East. We have entered into a contractual partnership, based on which VFS Global will implement several promotional activities focused on the leisure and MICE segments in the Middle East,” stated Monika Palatková, Managing Director of CzechTourism.

Over the past five years, the number of Indian tourists visiting the Czech Republic has almost tripled. In 2016, 66,500 Indian tourists visited the Czech Republic. The Indian visitor spend is also growing at a similar rate. “Owing to the substantial increase in numbers, it is important that we focus on India as a strategic source market for incoming tourism,” said Karla Šlechtová, the Minister for Regional Development. The Czech Republic is among the top ten fastest growing destinations for Indian tourists in Europe. By 2021, the number of Indians travelling to Central and Eastern Europe is expected to increase by 60%.

As a part of its promotional activities, Czech- Tourism successfully presented its various tourist attractions and products to Indian trade partners through its first ever multi-city roadshow in India, ‘Czech Republic – Land of Stories’ scheduled between 11-15 September 2017 in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Turkish Airlines, the general partner of this event along with six Czech companies participated in the roadshow. “Prague, the beautiful capital city of the Czech Republic, is extremely popular with Indians but there is so much more this wonderful country has to offer the discerning Indian travellers. CzechTourism India office will be focused on presenting new regions, products and experiences to the Indian Travel Trade and consumers. The central promotional theme of CzechTourism in 2017 has been Baroque. The year 2018 will be a period of celebration for the Czech Republic because it marks 100 years from the establishment of the independent country; the main focus will be monuments, places and traditions related to this period. We look forward to working in close cooperation with the Indian travel trade to promote these new products and experiences of the Czech Republic in the Indian market” summarized Arzan Khambatta, Head of CzechTourism India, when speaking about further plans.